Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude.

I just saw this book appear in my library one day (after checking I found out my girlfriend got it) and it looked short enough so I thought... What the heck? To say I was impressed would be a massive understatement. If I never thought Maya Angelou was an icon before, I would know now. Her insight, humility and wisdom is something that cannot be bought and it's not something that only experience can teach. It takes something more... something that Maya Angelou clearly has. She speaks of both her shortcomings and triumphs in a great way, I often have to really just stop whatever am doing to replay a portion of book so I can really absorb what she has to say.

I first thought the book would be geared specifically for women, and maybe it is in some way that my limited insight cannot perceive. But I would suggest this book to anyone... Black... White... Mixed... Asian... Indian... male... female... whoever you are. The wisdom in this book is something that is just great to say the least, narration by Maya Angelou was a heaven sent.

The Revenge of Seven: Lorien Legacies, Book 5

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth about our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy. We never imagined the Mogadorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I hate it when a book ends at on a cliffhanger. I remember listening to this title.... looking at the time left and knowing that there is no way everything is going to be wrapped up in the time that was left. I am not sure how the other book in this series is going to unfold but it's definitely going to be an interesting one.

The action in this one got turned up a couple notches with a lot of really fast pace, exciting portions. Up until the very last sentence you're treated with a barrage of action from the characters in the book. If you enjoy fast pace action, you'll enjoy this.

The narration to me was average at best and annoying at worse in places. The story is strong enough though to have you wanting to listen to the book despite.

The most annoying part of all this is having to wait on yet another book to see how this is all going to unfold....

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York.

It is one thing to read in the papers about the often times nameless and faceless individuals that are killed due to senseless killings in the Middle East due to the Taliban. It is also so easy to take for granted the simple pleasures and privileges that a peaceful and relatively liberal society brings. "I Am Malala" is one of those books that makes you not only thankful for the little privileges that you have but also admire the power that is the human spirit as well.

The story is the story of Malala. While I might not see this as a piece that was written extraordinarily well with fancy words or whatever, it's content is without a doubt what sets it apart. The book could use some editing and a thesaurus at points however when one thinks that it was written by a young woman, you get to appreciate the writing style for what it is. As much as I think living in the time and place she lived in forced her to mature beyond her years, I also despite that she was/is an extraordinary young woman to have created this. The depth in the book is truly inspiring and eye opening as well. The fight she fought for the right for education is something I think very few could do.I found myself torn between both respecting and being disappointed in her father at parts of the book because it is nothing short of miraculous that Malala was able to survive what she went through (past of it due to her father's ambition to an extent). It clearly is something that shaped and built her though and there is no doubt in my mind that her father cared and still does care for her greatly.

The narration is what I expected it to be. It would have been vastly disappointing if the narration was not even at least bearable; fortunately it was not only bearable but done very well. The narration did well to compliment the excellent content in the book and left a memorable impact on me.

Overall, this book was one of the highlights of my 2013 reading list. It stood out to me in a positive and put faces to a tragedy that is going on right at this very moment. For anyone who finds themselves complacent and downright unappreciative for the privilege that it is to be able to learn freely.... this book should be read. The ability and privilege to learn should never be taken for granted.

The Spirit Clearing: A Michael Talbot Adventure

After a horrific accident Mike wakes to find himself blind in one eye. He now sees things that others can't, and nobody will listen to him. That is, until he meets Jandilyn Hollow. Will she be able to pull him out of the depths of his despair? Can love transcend even death?

I must say, this was pretty much a very interesting one. Whilst going through Tufo's work you find that there are two very distinct sides to his write.... The witty, sarcastic, slightly neurotic side that we have come to get used to with Mike Talbot (zombie fallout version) and his gang. There is also this side; a very dark and twisted Mark Tufo who creates books such as these... One thing that combines all Mark Tufo novels I have ever come across is that they're good....

The story itself is an interesting take on the Mike Talbot story. The alternate reality that has been created here provides interesting questions regarding life after death. It gives a more tangible face to death in a sense. You find yourself empathizing with Mike throughout most of the boo, essentially just wanting him to catch a break. The ending is somewhat bitter sweet but also rather fitting when you take into consideration the whole story.

City of Ashes: The Mortal Instruments, Book Two

Clary Fray just wants her life to go back to normal - but that turns out to be impossible. For one thing, her mother is still in the hospital, in a mysterious coma. For another, she and her brother, Jace, have fallen under a cloud of suspicion now that the Shadowhunter world knows that Valentine is still alive - and that Jace and Clary are his son and daughter.

Yeah it hits rock bottom right here no doubt.... I do get that a lot of people like this book but why I don't know.... Maybe it was because there were a couple interesting characters or maybe it's because they just link all books related to the wonderful world of magic.

Again, like the first book, I like the concept; in fact the concept of the book in and of itself allows for the book to have a whole lot of potential. That however can not take away from the shoddy story itself. Sadly there wasn't any real growth between the first and the second story in terms of writing style (not from my vantage point at least).

I found a number of disturbing concepts in this book that I just am flabbergasted that the author and their editor allowed to go on in this book. I was telling a friend of mine about the book and their take is that way too much was going on in the book and I agreed wholeheartedly.

For one.... If you have made it this far you know that the main character is 'supposedly' the sister of another main character (and I put that in quotations because I can't possibly see this being the case by the end of the book series). The disturbing part about this is that they are in love.... And we are not talking about the platonic type here.... I am talking about the 'I swoon every time I see you/I want to kiss you so much/you smell like sweet lavender and the heavens part/awkward and wanting staring' type of love. Oh and yes.... they know or at least believe without a semblance of a doubt that they are brother and sister. I mean I know they didn't know they were brother and sister but seriously, they only knew each other for what I can only think is a week (2 the max) before they found out they were related, I am thinking that there is no way you can be THAT in love with someone that the whole idea of them being your blood sibling doesn't nip the whole I-want-your-body feeling they are harboring.

Disturbing fact two.... So we have a Alec in this book. I don't have an issue with him being gay, bi, confused or whatever. That being said the dude is 17 I think and is romantically involved with a warlock that's older than his mom, dad and grandparents' ages combined... No kidding.

Disturbing fact three.... This is the second most grievous aspect of the book for me. Simon. This dude is in love with the main female character who he's been friends with for years. Understandable of course but the thing that got me *major spoiler alert by the way* home boy gets turned into a vampire. By the end of the novel he somehow becomes able to walk in the sunlight (he doesn't sparkle though thankfully). Apparently this spares him from having to tell his mother that he is a souless, blood-sucking demon who will likely remain ageless and dash all of her hopes of having grandchildren (of the human variety at least) from him.

Disturbing fact four.... Well this wasn't too disturbing but moreso annoying. The uselessness of practically every adult character in the novel. This wasn't as the level of the first book but I still find it hard to believe that the adult characters can be as misguided and just plain as inept as most of them appeared to be by the end of the novel.

Now that I have gone through the disturbing facts; lets talk about the narration. The narration here is at best, forgettable and at worse jarring to the senses.

City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments, Book 1

When 15-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing, not even a smear of blood, to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

So yeah.... I am glad I listened to the first and the 2nd book before I wrote this review because whilst this book left a bitter taste in my mouth.... the 2nd book left me downright gagging. But yeah, this review isn't about the 2nd book.... It's about the horror that was the first book.

Let me start off by saying I am a big fan of fantasy literature... It's more than likely my most preferred type of book to read. I also really like the concept of this book. I actually found myself more intrigued about the 'world' they were living in within the confines of the book than the actual story itself. This goes to show how much potential this book had. In fact one of the main reasons I went to the second book in this series was because I was fascinated by the world they were living in.

The story though.... The story.... was just upsetting to me. I am hardly too gung ho about the whole 'fated' lover thing, I mean not that I am completely grossed out by the thought of being in love but at 15, 16 or 17.... But that's just one thing, the writing is far from a work of art, it sounds like something a high school student would write (an above average high school student but a high school student none the less). I'm confused as to how and why the adult characters in this book can be so utterly irrelevant (except maybe for one or two adult characters in the book). The 'twist' in or near the end... Sadly I saw it coming... I was hoping the author wouldn't go there... but the author went there.... and it was and is disturbing.

The narration leaves much to be desired. It wasn't the worse that I have ever heard but it's right up there.... or maybe I should say down there.... either way it's not good.

Legend

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect.

I went through this title quickly (as in less than one day quickly) which simply means that it was good enough to keep me interested for the entire length of the book. I actually didn't expect it to be as good as it was (having just completed the let down that is Allegiant) but I was pleasantly surprised. It had interesting characters, awesome plot twists and even a seemingly well thought out storyline.

In this title the government seems to be at it again in yet another futuristic world. We have two genius kids who are pit against each other due to a series of unfortunate circumstances. The author doesn't shy away from death which I appreciate (I always find it way too coincidental when I read books like these and no one of somewhat importance dies in the book). The characters all seem to be rather interesting as they currently are and the book leaves a whole lot of room for growth in them which will be particularly interesting to see. Another nice thing about this title is the action. When it started to pick up... It really picked up.... Fast and furious action which was actually of the believable nature more often than not.

The only disconcerting thing I find is their love at first sight thing that seemed to permeate the fated meeting between Day and June. I get they would be automatically intrigued (at least) by each other if only for the mere fact that they both probably are of genius IQ proportions (like things such as those either have the effect of bonding or repulsing you), but they seemed to have fallen head over heels for each other pretty quickly.

I liked the narration when the Steven Kaplan (the male narrator) was doing it.... I had to get used to Mariel Stern (the female narrator) which I am pretty sure shouldn't be the case; midway through the book I really didn't mind her much. They did a credible job at getting the story across which I am pretty psyched about.

I must say, all in all I am interested and intend to blaze through all these books.... Yup..... I'm interested.

Zombie Fallout 7: For The Fallen

Mike is back. The battle with Eliza is past. Now Mike must strike out once again in a desperate race against time as his son and best friend are succumbing to the zombie virus within them. What he does not know is that an old foe hasrisen up and a more insidious threat has emerged to not just the Talbots but all of humanity.

I have been experiencing Zombie Fallout withdrawal, I know that there are other Mark Tufo books and all of them scratches that itch of Tufo-ism I have needed but none compare to the epicness of Zombie Fallout with Mike, his family, BT + Tommy facing a Zombie Apocalypse and all that it entails.

I am a scientist at heart, a theoretical Chemist to be exact so I express myself well in the form of equation. I will use an equation to describe the narration:Sean Runnette + Mark Tufo = Perfection!That's just it.... Absolute PERFECTION. I don't know what fate put this author and this narrator together but to the powers that be... Thank you!

Now this book is just plain exciting... There are so many moments that you are at the edge of your seat... And if you are a true fan of the art of Tufo-ism then you find a couple references to other books in the Talbot Universe (Callis Rose reference the most obvious there) which is always a trip. You have that dry sarcasm teeming from Mike Talbot, the mismatched thought processes of Trip along with his poor wife who is just perpetually confused by her husband, the downright brutish nature of BT, the crafty and hard to kill Mrs. Denou.... With the death of Eliza, Mike has to find a new quest and the quest here is simply to find a cure for his son and his best friend. This book was the nice combination of action as well as plot development.

The book put me in a rather peculiar conundrum.... One where I couldn't help but make my way through this title, and also definitely not wanting it to end. It ended all too soon for me.... There will be more though. Thankfully there will be more! So my only problem with this title is..... I have to wait for book 8.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush, who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice explains that there are 13 reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

So this is one of those rare titles that you best listen to on a weekend when you have NOTHING better to do with your time. Why? The book is so exceptionally enthralling that you will find yourself immediately drawn into the story if you are even remotely a fan of literature of this kind. The narration was faultless and the story was tragic but honest and done so well. Absolutely superb.

I think this book has the potential to polarize an audience. I say this because the topics the book touches... topics such as high school, suicide and date rape... all these topics are highly sensitive. These also are topics that some are not comfortable talking about and are in general very 'heavy' emotions to deal with. The book comes off as that, heavy.... riddled with feelings and emotions... That being said the somewhat heavy tone lends to making each portion of this book seem meaningful in some way. You know a book is great when it feels organic in a sense and unforced which was exactly what this was.You knew the outcome of the novel, the tragic end of the girl who left the tapes, and yet you find yourself engrossed in the novel from beginning to end.

I agree that this book is tragic and if you are looking for a happy ending then you will miss out here. I mean yes, there is some amounts of closure and the main character here does find some sort of redemption in the end but there can be no true happy ending in a book where one of the main characters commits suicide. What appeals most me though in this book is the honesty.... it's tragic, it sucks but it's also true and it needs to be told. It also helps that the book is written so beautifully with the phrasing, the pauses, the choice of words being just plain immaculate.

It's the sort of book that makes you want to be a bit nicer to people for the mere reason that you never know what they are going through and you never know if maybe they are teetering at the edge of their breaking point. It makes you want to ask someone "how are you" and actually mean it.... Sharing a kind word with someone just for the mere fact that you can just in case.

The book had that ability to bring me back to some not so nice moments in my own life maybe not as bad as what Hannah went through but bad in its own right (I think everyone goes through something like this at one point or another) and it made me thankful for it not 'snowballing' as it did with Hannah because really, who knows how different I would have been now?

When I finished the book and told a certain someone about it, they told me I shouldn't 'gush' about it in my review.... Well.... I am gushing and I believe this book was absolutely worth every moment of gushing. I mean I went through this book cover to cover in one sitting.... For a usual busy body like me doing 1 million things at once that truly is a task for a book to accomplish.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sobering and honest title. To break up the monotony of sci-fi or action or romance or fantasy or whatever you're accustomed to. To delve in the mind of someone who simply was pushed too much... Where a series of unfortunate occurrences snowballed into something tragic... Something, that if you take the time out to reflect on and really allow to marinate within you can actually make you a better person after you finish it....

Allegiant: Divergent Trilogy, Book 3

What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation - like a single choice - changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times best-selling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of listeners in Divergent and Insurgent.

I'm judging this book harshly based mostly on two facts: the potential it had and the actual story. Normally I give the performance a greater rating but the great performance could not wash the taste of disappointment from my mouth. Maybe it's because I set myself up with these huge expectations based on the potential I saw in the books prior to this one but then this one...

The narration was great as I stated above, makes it absolutely bearable to listen to the book... Both Emma (who spoke as Tris) and Aaron (the voice of Four) really did awesome jobs at truly giving these characters a voice and even a body in a sense. The pacing wasn't rushed; the tones were great.... there really isn't much that can be taken away from the narration here. A star is removed from narration because even though it's great, a 5 star narration can only be achieved by a combination of great narration WITH a great story... The story let this down.

Now on to the story..... *glares viciously* This book reminded me of another book I had high hopes for which just fizzled.... fizzled into annoyance. Let me start with the MAJOR bone I had to pick with this book.... CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.... Yes... The major characters grew but every single one of them (and yes I get they should be damaged and scarred or whatever) became way too absorbed in their past and way TOO damaged. I also found them hypocritical, just so amazing hypocritical. I don't want to ruin the story so I won't actually say what happened but you will know what I am talking about when you actually going through it. The author seemed to have been trying hard to NOT be like The Hunger Games and ended up just being completely unbelievable to me (the government would/could not let it go like that if you ask me). The writer wanted to end it bitter-sweet and a bit tragic but by the end of the novel I had gotten so annoyed with the characters I saw the ending downright fitting (albeit unbelievable in a sense, again... you don't mess with a government branch and the government just sits passively by after the fact). The major problem with the trilogy.... it lacked direction.... I came away from this book feeling that the author had no idea how to end this book, she started the trilogy not knowing how to end the trilogy and for the sake of ending it at the trilogy rushed it and butchered what could have been a great novel. I absolutely HATE when this happens.... The good about this book is that it had some really good writing, in terms of the use of words. It also had some really nice quote worthy moments, quotes mostly about human nature that even though a bit cliché but absolutely resounding.

The book had potential but completely failed in realizing its potential if you ask me. A strong first book, an exciting second book and this... this was just upsetting to me.

Inheritance: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 4

Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can.

I was so disappointed about this book, so EPICALLY disappointed. I am a big fan of books in general and I am an even bigger fan of fantasy books. I love the George R. R. Martin (despite his sadistic way of killing off characters). Tolkien, Terry Goodkind, etc. and after reading book one and book two of the Eragon series despite seeing some gaps in his story I saw growth and I thought to myself "This guy really will be great...." but then.... the travesty of book 3 came and then to add fuel to the fire book 4 came which did not in any way shape or form redeem the book for me.

The narration wasn't bad and I actually gave him an extra star for keeping me engaged throughout the scope of this really long book. I almost was going to call it pointless as well but that would have been too harsh besides, I leave that particular description to the third book. He did his accents well and simply worked with what was handed to him to the best of his abilities. I tip my hat to this dude for doing such a good job.

Now the story.... *clenches jaw purposely* Here is my contention.... The main antagonist's death... for someone so incredibly evil.... his death was just downright anticlimactic if you ask me. And then the lead up to the death was just plain annoying. I still stand by the thought (even more so than ever) that the third book served no purpose whatsoever and if the author had combined the 3rd and 4th book (whilst cutting out the useless fodder) this series would not have been such a let down. In fact the main reason this book gets such a negative review from me is because the series on a whole had so much potential. The books went like this for me:Book 1.... GoodBook 2.... ExcellentBook 3.... Ok... Completely IrrelevantBook 4.... *Annoyed* I can't believe I invested time and energy in this series.I have never been this dissatisfied with an antagonist's since I listened to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (I have yet to get the sour taste out of my mouth where that book is concerned). It didn't help that even after the story ended there was even more added fodder that don't get me wrong was great to know but was an OBVIOUS ploy to potentially add some more to this story in the future if the author so desires (I hope beyond hope he just lets this die unless he seriously improves his writing style). Oh by the way, I saw so many similarities to other things in other timeless fantasy works like Star Wars and LoTR that I found it a bit disturbing to be honest. I am however going to pretend that this was all a coincidence and not drop the rating down another star.

My ultimate belief is that this book should have been a trilogy and nothing more. The really wished and believed this book would have been great but in the word of another reviewer it was simply 'sizzle... sputter... *poof*'.

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